Dynamic Vehicle Grid Infrastructure to Allow Vehicles to Sense and Respond to Traffic Conditions

ABSTRACT

A dynamic ‘vehicle grid’ system provides the ability for drivers to be automatically warned to the conditions of other vehicles in the vicinity. In this grid system, a motor vehicle would be equipped with a transmitter, receiver, computer and a selection of sensors. Other adjacent vehicles are also contain the same of equipment for transmitting and receiving signals. When the sensors in a vehicle detect a change such as hard braking (rapid deceleration) or very slow speed (blockages), it automatically sends this information via the transmitter over a wireless communication channel to any other receivers in the vicinity.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention describes a system and method to create a dynamicgrid infrastructure made up of multiple automobiles. This gridinfrastructure allows traffic and other important information to bepropagated between each of the automobiles comprising theinfrastructure. The invention describes an algorithm that allows thegrid infrastructure to be created and managed, as well as the details ofthe information that is passed between automobiles that make up thegrid.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the current art, automobiles and other vehicles have no simple way ofcommunicating with one another. Consider the example where a car has tosuddenly brake in front of another car. The driver of the trailingvehicle perhaps sees the brakes of the car in front, cueing him or herto slow down. However, what about the car following behind the secondone, or the car behind that car? Consider another example of a line ofstationary cars one mile ahead of a driver. Until the driver has to slowdown, there is no way for the driver to know that stationary cars arecurrently one mile ahead.

The present invention solves the problem of being able to allow thisinformation (and more) to be propagates between vehicles by forming adynamic (ad hoc) ‘automobile grid’. This grid infrastructure allowsvehicles to constantly be in communication with surrounding vehicles,such that important information such as speed, sudden braking, or amyriad of other conditions can instantly be relayed to nearbyautomobiles. It therefore solves the problem of being able to have thisinformation instantly communicated to other vehicles in the area suchthat stationary traffic can be avoided and drivers can be made aware ofemergency situations such as heavy braking in front.

There are solutions in place today that solve the problems of a driverbeing able to find out information about stationary traffic. GPS-enablesnavigation systems are able to have traffic information sent to them viasatellite to warn drivers of stationary cars ahead. This solutionhowever relies on having a third party detects traffic problems andsending the information to vehicles in the area via a communicationchannel. This method is very expensive and relies on a system that candetect traffic patterns and problems. The known solution for a driverknowing that a car in front is rapidly braking is simply by looking atthe brake lights. While this method obviously works, it is difficult foran automobile 2, automobile 3 or even more cars behind to detect anemergency braking.

Another approach described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,741,168 is a device withinan automobile comprises or includes a wireless communications controllerwhich, upon detection of impact, attempts to establish a wirelesscommunications link to each of any counterpart wireless communicationscontrollers which are within vehicles also subject to a recent impact,and therefore presumably involved in the collision. Vehicleidentification information and information collected regarding thecollision, such as vehicle speed, location, direction of travel, impactdirection and magnitude, point of impact, etc., are automaticallyexchanged between vehicles involved in the collision and may be laterretrieved from either vehicle, preserving objective information foraccident reconstruction by police and insurance companies.

U.S. Patent Application 20020184641 describes a communications systemincorporating a plurality of vehicle mounted web cams that collect videoinformation and transmit the video information together with other localinformation via a wireless network to a server. The video streams fromthe web cams and associated information are available to users on aInternet web page. Each camera has a specific identifier to permit usersto access the video of specific individual cameras. Optimizationsoftware permits users to take virtual trips along predetermined routes.The system also permits sequential access to multiple video feeds fromdesired locations. Multiple alternative one way and two way videocommunication methods taking advantage of the network of mobile web camsare described.

Although these approaches attempt to warn other drivers of potentialhazards, there is no solution in place today that can warn a driver ofan emergency brake of a vehicle out of sight of the driver.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and systemin which a motor vehicle can warn other motor vehicles in the vicinityof an event occurring with the warning vehicle.

It is a second objective of the present invention to provide a methodand system in which a motor vehicle sends out a signal to other vehiclesin the vicinity of an event occurring with that vehicle.

It is a third objective of the present invention to provide a method andsystem in which a motor vehicle that receives a signal of an event canrelay that signal to other vehicles in the vicinity.

It is a fourth objective of the present invention to provide a system ofsensors and transmitters that can detect an event and transmit a signalindicating that detected event.

It is a fifth objective of the present invention to provide a systemwithin a motor vehicle that can detect an event with the vehicle,distinguish the type of event that is occurring and transmit a messageto other vehicles in the vicinity indicating the type of event that isoccurring.

The main idea of the invention is the creation of a dynamic ‘vehiclegrid’ system. In this grid system, a motor vehicle would be equippedwith a transmitter, receiver, computer and a selection of sensors. Otheradjacent vehicles are also contain the same of equipment fortransmitting and receiving signals. When the sensors in a vehicle detecta change such as hard braking (rapid deceleration) or very slow speed(blockages), it automatically sends this information via the transmitterover a wireless communication channel to any other receivers in thevicinity.

In the method of the invention, one or more sensors in a motor vehicledetect an event such as a hard breaking action. The sensors send asignal to a central computer in the vehicle. The computer determines thetype of detected event and formulates a message. A transmitter thenbroadcasts this message out to other motor vehicles in the vicinity.Other vehicles in the vicinity detect this broadcasted signal with thereceiver contained in that vehicle. This signal is then transmitted tothe computer in that vehicle which processes to interpret the nature ofthe transmitted event. The information is then conveyed to the driver ofthe vehicle receiving the signal.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a vehicle grid of the present invention in which threevehicles are in close proximity of each other and each vehicle has thecapability to transmit to and receive signals from the other vehicles.

FIG. 2 is an illustration of a motor in accordance with the presentinvention equipped with sensors, a transmitter, a receiver and acomputer.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of the basic steps in the method of the presentinvention.

FIG. 4 is a detailed flow diagram of the steps in the implementation ofthe method of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of the steps in an alternate implementation ofthe method of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 illustrates a configuration of a vehicle traffic grid of thepresent invention. This grid shows three vehicles, cars 1, 2 and 3, thatcan be traveling on a roadway in close proximity to each other. Eachvehicle has transmission range in which the vehicle can reliablytransmit signals to and receive signals from other vehicles in the grid.Because of this close proximity, if a vehicle experiences an event suchas a sudden turn or the steering wheel or a sudden decelerationresulting braking, signals indicating these events can be transmitted toand received at the other vehicles in the vicinity. When the driver of avehicle receives the signal, that driver will be alerted to the eventand can take responses actions if necessary. In this illustration, carnumber 2 has a transmission range in which it can send messages to andreceive messages from cars 1 and 3.

FIG. 2 illustrates the configuration of vehicle components that are usedin the implementation of the present invention. Preferably, each vehiclewill contain sensors, a transmitter, a receiver and a computer. Thecomputer will process data from the sensors for broadcast to othervehicles via the transmitter and process data from other vehiclesgathered by the receiver.

The first component for each vehicle of the grid is the collection ofsensors. Each vehicle may have different numbers and types of sensors.This invention is not limited to particular number of receivers or aparticular type of receiver. In the vehicle there can be receiverspositioned at various locations on the vehicle. Referring to the vehicle10 of FIG. 2, sensors 12, 14, 16 and 18 are positioned at each of thefour wheels of the vehicle. As mentioned, the types of sensors vary andcan include sensors such as the following:

Accelerometer: This sensor detects any changes in speed of the vehicleincluding emergency braking or sudden swerving. The sensor can becustomized or pre-installed to trigger when the amount of decelerationor sideways force reaches a threshold.

Speed Sensor: This sensor detects how long a vehicle has been stationaryor moving at slow speed. This sensor can be customized to trigger if thevehicle has been stationary or less than 5 mph for more than 5 minutes,or any other time interval.

Crash Sensor: This sensor detects any deployment of an air bag or othercrash system. It will trigger upon detection of a crash.

Peripheral Sensor: This sensor will detect the use of any peripheral inthe vehicle—for example, windshield wipers or headlights. The sensor canbe triggered upon activation of these peripherals.

The second component of a vehicle in the grid is a central computingdevice 20 that can analyze the sensors to determine when to transmit apiece of information via the transmitter to other vehicles within range.This analysis can involve the receipt of signals from the sensors when asensor has detected a vehicle event. The computing device 20 processesthe information received from the sensors to determine the type ofevent. The computing device also formulates the message that will bebroadcast to other vehicles in the grid. In addition, the computingdevice also must be able to analyze information receive from thereceiver component, interpret this information and formulate a messageto convey the driver of the vehicle. This conveyance of information canbe in the form a message displayed to the driver via a vehicle displayof the vehicle dashboard.

The third component of a vehicle in the grid is the transmitter 22. Thiscomponent functions to broadcast an event or condition of a vehicle toother vehicles in the grid. The transmitter receives the information forbroadcast from the computer component. This component 22 can use aplurality of wireless technologies to transmit information as abroadcast to other vehicles in a predetermined range. The transmittermay use RF, Wireless 802.11b, cellular or other wireless technology tocommunicate to other vehicles. In the preferred embodiment, sundrywireless communication methods can be used in parallel to maximize theavailability of the grid network.

The receiver component 24 has the capability to listen for communicationmessages from other vehicles and then feed these messages to the centralcomputing device 20 for processing. As with the transmitter 22, thereceiver 24 also may be implemented with a plurality of wirelesstechnologies not limited to RF, Wireless 802.11b and cellular. In thepreferred embodiment, sundry wireless communication methods can be usedin parallel to maximize the availability of the grid network.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of the basic steps in the implementation of themessage of the present invention. During normal driving operations of avehicle in the grid, the sensors and computing device are in a monitorstate. When an event occurs such as a braking condition, one or moresensors will detect this condition and send a signal to the computingdevice in step 30. In the vehicle grid configuration, the vehicle doingthe braking is noted as the first vehicle. This first vehicle is the oneexperiencing a condition. Once this signal is sent to the computingdevice, in step 32, the computing device formulates a message forbroadcast to other vehicles warning the other vehicles of the conditionor event of the first vehicle. Step 34 broadcasts the message of theevent to other vehicles in the grid. This broadcast message is sent fromthe computing device to the transmitter, which sends out the message tothe other vehicles in the grid. The messages are transmitted andreceived on a predetermined communication frequency.

Step 36 is a message receiving activity that occurs at a second vehicle,which is not the vehicle the experiencing the event or transmitting thesignal. In this step, the receiver of the second vehicle detects thetransmitted signal of an event at a vehicle in the grid. Internally, thereceiver sends the message to the computing device of that vehicle. Instep 38, the computing device formulates a message of the event andconveys a warning message to the driver of the second vehicle.

FIG. 4 is a more detailed flow diagram of the steps in theimplementation of the method of the present invention. As with themethod of FIG. 3, the sensors and computing device are in an initialmonitoring mode. When an event occurs, sensors detect the event in step40. The sensors transmit an event trigger signal to the computing devicein step 42. Once the computing device receives the signal, in step 44,the computing device interprets the signal. This interpretation is todetermine the type of detected event in order to accurately inform theother vehicles of the type of situation of that exist with the vehiclesubmitting the message. The determination of the type of detected eventcould be a function of the particular sensor that transmitted the eventto the computer. As previously mentioned, there can be several types ofsensors in the vehicle. The multiple types of sensors can provide thecapability to detect various types of vehicle events that can occur. Inthe above description of the sensor component, the accelerometer sensor,the speed sensor, the crash sensor and the peripheral sensor can alldetect different types of events. Therefore depending of the particularsensor that is detecting the event and transmitting the signal, thecomputer can determine the type of trigger event.

Step 46 sends to interpreted trigger signal to the transmitter fortransmission to the other vehicles in the grid. Prior to transmission,the message is formulated, in step 48, such that the recipient vehiclecan readily interpret the message. The formulated message contains anidentification of the vehicle that sent the message and the type oftrigger event of the vehicle. It is important to identify thetransmitting vehicle because in the implementation of this method,messages can be relayed from a car receiving a transmitted message toother vehicles in the grid. In this case, the receiving vehicle needs toknow when a message is from the original vehicle or if the message is arelayed message. The formulated message can have various fields thatcontain the information. This message formulation step 46 can occur inthe transmitter or it can occur in the computing device prior tosubmission of the message to the transmitter. Step 50 broadcast themessage to the other vehicles in the grid. As mentioned, thisbroadcasting activity occurs in the transmitter device.

Step 52 is the message-receiving step that occurs in a vehicle in thegrid that receives the transmitted message from the vehicle (the firstvehicle) experiencing the event. Once the transmitted signal is receivedat the second vehicle, step 54 sends the signal to the computing deviceof the vehicle. In the computing device, step 56 processes the messageand interprets the message. In the interpretation, the computing deviceidentifies the vehicle that initially sent the message and alsodetermines the type of event detected at the first vehicle. Reading theinformation in a particular field of the message can perform theidentification process. Once there has been an interpretation of themessage, in step 58, the computer conveys the message to the driver ofthe second vehicle. As mentioned, this conveyance can be via a displayon the dashboard of the vehicle.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of the steps in an alternate implementation ofthe method of the present invention. In this alternate method, thecomputer receives an input signal in step 60. This step is the same asstep 44 of FIG. 4. Because the computing device receives inputs from twodifferent sources (the sensors and the receiver), it is necessary tomake a determination of the source of the input signal. This signalsource determination occurs in step 62. The determination could be froma field in the formatted message indicating that the message is fromanother vehicle. In addition, the determination could be from the factthat the signal is directly from a vehicle sensor. The vehicle sensorsignal could have a different format from the signal of the receiverdevice.

If the determination in step 62 is that the detected signal is from thereceiver, then the determination of the computing device is that thesignal is from another vehicle. In this case, the process moves to step64, which interprets the signal similar to step 56 of FIG. 4. In step66, the computing device processes the signal and sends a warning to thevehicle driver. After the driver has received the warning, step 68relays the warning to other vehicles in the range of the relayingvehicle. The process for relaying the vehicle signal is the same as ifthe signal originated at the vehicle. However, the relayed message wouldbe formatted to contain a field that identifies the message sender asrelaying vehicle and not the vehicle that originated the message.

Referring back to step 62, if the determination is that the message isfrom a sensor, then the determination is that the signal is from vehiclezero (the vehicle containing the sensors and the computer). With thisroute, the process is similar to process that begins with step 42 ofFIG. 4. Step 70 interprets the computer and formats a message fortransmission. Step 72 then sends this signal to the message transmitter.As previously mentioned, the message formatting can also occur at thetransmitter as well as the computer device. Step 74 then broadcasts thesignal to other vehicles in the vehicle grid in a manner similar to step50.

The following diagram shows a piece of a dynamic car grid. The examplesused the configuration of the three-car grid shown in FIG. 1 toillustrate the operations of the present invention. As previouslydescribed, FIG. 1 shows three cars equipped with the necessarycomponents (sensors, transmitter and receiver) necessary to become aresource in the dynamic vehicle grid. The diagram shows the range of theability of each vehicle to transmit and receive information. There is nosingle control point for the vehicle grid. Each vehicle is able totransmit information to any other vehicle as long as it falls within thebounds of the transmit range.

The following set of process steps show how the vehicle grid can be usedto signal to cars that an emergency brake has occurred.

1) The driver of a car 1 suddenly sees a problem in the road ahead andapplies the brakes very hard.

2) The accelerometer sensor of car 1 detects emergency braking and feedsthe information to the central computer.

3) The computer receives the information and understands that a localsensor was triggered. The computer interprets this as ‘distance 0’—i.e.,the local car. The computer then triggers the transmitter to signalother vehicles in the area. Car 1 transmits information:

“CAR DISTANCE 0 IS EMERGENCY BRAKING”

4) Car 2 is in range of car 1. Car 2 receives the information and passesthis information to the central computer.

5) Car 2 central computer detects that a car in the car in the immediatearea has triggered an emergency braking. Because the informationcontained in the message says ‘distance 0’, Car 2 knows that theemergency braking car is only 1 car away.

6) The computer now optionally warns the driver that the car in front isbraking by a plurality of methods not limited to:

Flashing the message on the dashboard

Using a Head Up Display

Audio Warning

7) The computer of a car 2 may also apply the brakes or reduce fuel flowto decrease speed.

8) The computer of a car 2 then relays the same information to anyvehicle in its range, but adding one to the distance:

“CAR DISTANCE 1 IS EMERGENCY BRAKING”

9) Car 3 is in range of car 3. Car 3 receives the information and passesthis information to the central computer.

10) Car 3 central computer detects that a car 1 hop away from its rangetriggered an emergency braking. Because the information contained in themessage says ‘distance 1’, Car 3 knows that the emergency braking car is2 cars away.

11) The computer now optionally warns the driver that the car 2 cars infront is braking by a plurality of methods not limited to

Flashing the message on the dashboard

Using a Head Up Display

Audio Warning

12) The computer of car 3 may also apply the brakes—but this time maybenot as much as car 2.

13) The computer of car 3 then relays the same information to anyvehicle in its range, but adding one to the distance:

“CAR DISTANCE 2 IS EMERGENCY BRAKING”

14) The process is repeated until a pre determined number of hops hasbeen reached.

The process is not indicative the novelty of this disclosure untoitself. The inventors agree that there exist a plurality of possiblescenarios where this invention could be utilized to transmit a pluralityof alert and notification methods. A similar process can be followed towarn surrounding vehicles of other hazards including vehicle that:

-   -   are slow or stopped in traffic for a period of time;    -   have had an air bag deployed;    -   have swerved suddenly; and    -   have switched on their windshield wipers, lights or other such        peripheral equipment in response to external alertable        conditions.

The problem therefore solved by the present invention is thatpotentially dangerous situations can be instantly propagated betweenvehicles to increase the safety of our road systems and reduce thelikelihood of an accident. In the current art, an emergency braking ismost likely only seen by the vehicle immediately behind. This inventionallows vehicles many cars behind to instantly know that there is aproblem such that the driver may apply the brakes in good time.

The invention also solves the problem of identified slow or stoppedtraffic such that a driver can take a different route. The vehicle griddoes not need any ground infrastructure or set of processes orprocedures to function so therefore it is much cheaper to install andoperate. It also provides instantaneous information to drivers ofimportant situations (for example, the car 5 away from me has justemergency braked). Known solutions cannot provide this immediate levelof alerting.

It is important to note that while the present invention has beendescribed in the context of a fully functioning data processing system,those skilled in the art will appreciate that the processes of thepresent invention are capable of being distributed in the form ofinstructions in a computer readable medium and a variety of other forms,regardless of the particular type of medium used to carry out thedistribution. Examples of computer readable media include media such asEPROM, ROM, tape, paper, floppy disc, hard disk drive, RAM, and CD-ROMsand transmission-type of media, such as digital and analogcommunications links.

1. A dynamic vehicle grid system that enables vehicles to sense andrespond to traffic conditions comprising; two or more vehiclespositioned in close proximity to each other such that the vehicles couldsend and receive signals from each other; at least one sensor positionedin each vehicle to detect various conditions and status of the vehicle;a transmitter positioned in the each vehicle to broadcast signals toother vehicles in the vehicle grid system; a receiver positioned in theeach vehicle to receive signals transmitted from other vehicles in thevehicle grid system; a computing device positioned in each vehicle, saidcomputing device capable of accepting signals from the sensors andreceiver, to transmitting signals to the transmitter for broadcast toother vehicles in the grid and to processing signals received from saidreceiver and sensor; and a software module contained in each vehiclessaid software module capable of: detecting the warning message at afirst receiving vehicle in the dynamic grid; determining whether thedetected warning message is from a first vehicle or a receiving vehicle;when the determination is that the detected warning message is from thefirst vehicle interpreting the detected warning message at the receivingvehicle and sending the detected warning message to a driver of thereceiving vehicle; formulating a relay message at the receiving vehiclecontaining information from the warning message detected at the receivervehicle, the relay message containing a field that identifies a senderof the relay message as the first vehicle which sent the originalwarning message; and relaying the formulated relay message to othervehicles in close proximity to the receiving vehicle that formulated therelay message.
 2. The vehicle grid system as described in claim 1further comprising a plurality of vehicle sensors for detecting variousconditions and status of a vehicle in the vehicle grid system.
 3. Thevehicle grid system as described in claim 2 wherein a vehicle in thesystem has a sensor positioned at each wheel on the vehicle.
 4. Thevehicle grid system as described in claim 2 wherein said plurality ofvehicle sensor comprise at least one accelerometer, one speed sensor,one crash sensor, and one peripheral sensor.
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